Display panel assembly



Nov. 3, 1970 M. BUBB DISPLAY PANEL ASSEMBLY Filed A ril 2. 1969 3 sheets sheet z Nov. 3, 1970 M. BUBB DISPLAY PANEL ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 2. 1969 M. BUBB DISPLAY PANEL ASSEMBLY Nov. 3, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 2, 1969 United States Patent Office 3,537,200 Patented Nov. 3, 1970 rm. cl. co9r 15/00 US. Cl. 40-125 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Flat, rectangular display panels having a cardboard shell almost completely filled with plastic foam are connected edge to edge in a common vertical plane by connectors of strip material whose longitudinal end portions are inserted into the connected panels through the narrow band of edge faces which connects the two wide display faces of each panel. The end portions of the connectors which can be either flat strips or U-shaped clips are received between an edge of the filler and a portion of the shell band. The width of the end portions is about equal to the thickness of the panel cavity to give good rigidity to the assembly. The assembly is held upright by legs on the lowermost panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to display devices, and particularly to an assembly of individual, flat, polygonal display panels carrying advertising matter on their display faces.

Free-standing display panels have recently found wide acceptance, and have been combined in assemblies of many overall shapes, even to form the walls of display booths in exhibitions, and the like. Such booths are temporary structures, and the display panels with which this invention is concerned are not normally intended for permanent installation in the same location.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a panel assembly of the type described whose panels, while constructed of inexpensive materials, may be assembled and disassembled repeatedly without damage to the panels, and in a wide variety of patterns.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The display assemblies of the invention normally comprise at least two flat polygonal panels. Each panel consists essentially of a hollow shell and a stiffening filler in the shell cavity. The shell has two relatively wide opposite display face portions and a relatively narrow, substantially annular band portion connecting the display face portions.

The panels are connected by one or more connector members of strip material having a Width approximately equal to the thickness of the panel cavity between the display face portions of each shell. Each of the two longitudinal end portions of the connector member is interposed between the band portion of the associated panel shell and the filler received in the same in simultaneous frictional engagement with the band portion and the filler, and is oriented in such a manner that its width extends between the display face portions of the shell.

Other features, additional objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily be understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when considered in connection with the appended drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING *In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a panel assembly of the invention in an exploded perspective view;

FIG. 2 shows the portion of the assembly of FIG. 1 indicated at H on an enlarged scale, outer elements of a panel being broken away to reveal internal structure;

FIG. 3 shows the device of FIG. 2 in fragmentary plan section on the line III-III.

FIG. 4 shows a connector strip of the assembly of FIG. 1 in enlarged side elevation;

FIG. 5 illustrates the connector strip of FIG. 4 in front elevation;

FIG. 6 shows a leg of the assembly of FIG. 1 in side elevation;

FIG. 7 illustrates the flat cardboard blank from which the shell of a panel of FIG. 1 is made;

FIG. 8 illustrates a modification of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 shows a resilient connector clip for panel assemblies of the invention in the relaxed condition;

FIG. 10 shows a panel assembly of the invention using the clip of FIG. 9 in fragmentary front elevation; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are perspective views of further panel assemblies. I

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring initially to FIG. 1, there are shown two panels 10, 12, normally connected in a common upright plane by metallic connector strips 14 which attach the smaller panel 12 to the top edge of the layer panel 10. The assembly so formed rests on the floor of a nonillustrated building on two legs 16 fastened to the edge of the lower panel 10 remote from the panel 12.

The two identical connector strips 14, as better seen in FIGS. 4, 5 have longitudinal end portions 17 tapering to crescent-shaped cutting edges 18, and formed with an eye or perforation 20 near the center of curvature of each edge 18. Transverse ridges on the two wide longitudinal faces of each strip 14 are saw-tooth shaped in cross section and oriented in such a manner as not to interfere with the insertion of each end portion 17 into the relatively soft panels 10, 12, but to resist withdrawal in the manner of barbs on an arrow.

As is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the panels 10, '12 have each a flat cardboard shell 22 whose two wide rectangular display faces are connected by a relatively narrow annular band 26 of edge faces, and whose cavity is almost entirely occupied by a slab 24 of polystyrene foam which rests on the bottom part of the band v26, and whose top face 32 and upright edges 34 are separated from the top a portion 28 and the upright portions 30 of the band 26 by narrow gaps 36 to permit differential thermal expansion and contraction of the shell 22 and of the filler slab 22, the gaps extending over the entire circumference of the slab 24 except the bottom edge.

In the assembled condition of the apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower ends 17 of the two connector strips 14 pass through transverse slots in the top portion 28 of the band 26 on the panel 10 into the gaps 36 between the two upright portions 30 of the band 26 and the associated upright edges 34 of the filler slab 22, and are held in the gaps by simultaneous frictional engagement with the elements bounding the gaps. The panel 12 is identical in construction with the panel 10 except for its smaller height, and the connector strips 14 enter the panel 12 from below in a manner evident from FIGS. 2 and 3. The strips 1'4 are as wide as the slab 24 is thick,

or as wide as the thickness of the cavity in each panel 10, 12.

Each leg .16 is equipped with an upright connector strip 3-8 which penetrates into the panel through the bottom portion of the band 26 near the upright portions 30 in a manner obvious from the showing of FIGS. 2 and 3 to attach the leg 16 to the panels 10, 12.

The cardboard shells 22 of the panels 10 and 12 are made from flat, unitary blanks of the type illustrated in FIG. 7 and differ from each other only in one dimension. The rectangular front face'portion 50 of the blank is separated by creases from the several portions of the band 26. Similar creases separate the top portion 28, one upright portion 30, and the bottom portion 42 of the band 26 from respective tapering flaps 44, 46, 48 which are glued to the inner surface of the rear face portion 52 of the panel when the panel is constructed from the shell in a conventional manner. Elongated lugs 54 project longitudinally from the ends of the band portions 28, 42 and are tucked under the upright portions '30 when the blank is folded. They are severed when the connector strips 14 are inserted and may be omitted if so desired.

The perforations or eyes 20 in the connector strips 14 permit a panel 12 or any assembly of panels to be suspended from a string 56, as is shown in FIG. 18, and the legs 16 may, but need not be omitted in such an arrangement.

If it is desired to arrange two panels side by side, the connector strips 14 may be inserted in the panels through the upright portions 30 of the band 26 immediately adjacent the top portions 28 and the bottom portions 42, but this is not normally convenient, particularly because of the lack of clearance between the bottom edge of the slab 24 and the bottom portion 42 of the band 26. It is preferred to useU-shaped connector clips 58 of resilient metal or plastic strip as shown in FIG. 9. In the illustrated relaxed condition of the clip, the leg portions 60 of the same converge away from the [bight portion. When inserted into the upright gaps 36 of two horizontally juxtaposed panels '12, as shown in FIG. 10, the leg portions 60 are approximately parallel, and the two panels are resiliently urged into abutting engagement with each other by the resilient stress in the connecting bight portion of the clip 58.

FIG. 11 shows an. assembly of four identical square panels 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, the three panels 12a, 12b, 12c being horizontally juxtaposed, and the panel 12b being fastened to the topof the panel 12d which is supported on two legs '16. The horizontal row of panels 12a, 12b, 12c is held together by three connector clips 58 and by one horizontally arranged connector strip 14 inserted in the gaps 36 of the panels 12b, 12c subjacent the top portions 28 of the respective bands 26, and entering the panels through slots 62 in contiguously adjacent respective upright band portions.

Two connector strips 14 secure the panels 12b and 12d to each other in the manner described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The strips 14 share respective 2210s 36 with clips 58, but have been shown horizontally offset from the corresponding clips in FIG. 11 for greater clarity of pictorial representation.

FIG. 12 shows two hingedly connected panel assemblies of the invention, each assembly being practically identical with that 'shown in FIG. 1. The panels 121:, 12g whichmainly constitute one assembly are connected in a common vertical plane by connector strips 14 and rest on legs as described above, and the panels 12f, 12h of the second assemblies are correspondingly equipped. The two assemblies are connected by four hinges 64 having a common vertical pivot axis, each hinge consisting of two corrugated pins 66 inserted through the shells of the sev-.

4 tion of the two panel assemblies relative to each other as indicated by a double arrow.

Obviously, the panels of the invention can be connected by the strips 114- and the clips 58 in innumerable patterns, and the panel assemblies may be dismantled and their elements rearranged as needed. The rigidity of the panel assemblies is high considering the materials of construction employed and the simplicity and small dimensions of the connectors 14, 58 which are inserted into the connected panels only over a small fraction, typically less than one-tenth and not more than one-sixth of the panel dimension which is longitudinal of the inserted connector portion. This rigidity is due to a substantial extent to the fact that the narrow longitudinal edges of the connectors are contiguous to the front and rear display portions 50, 52 of the shells 22. The cutting edges '18 of the connectors are offset from the narrow longitudinal edges, as is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 so as to avoid damage to the front and rear portions 50, 52.

The free ends of the leg portions 60 on the clips '58 are provided with cutting edges 18 substantially identical with those of the strips 14, as is partly evident from FIG. 10. The cutting edges have been omitted'from the showing of FIG. 9 for the sake of clarity, and neither FIG. 9 nor FIG. 10 show the transverse ridges corresponding to the ridges 70 (FIG. 5) which secure the insertedleg portions 60 in the connected panels against accidental withdrawal.

Polystyrene foam is the preferred material for the filler slab 24 at this time because of its light weight, low cost, and good mechanical strength. Urea-formaldehyde foam and many other foamed plastics may obviously be substituted as filler materials, and corrugated cardboard slabs have been used successfully where their greater weight is not objectionable.-The foam-filled panels are most readily transported between spaced locations. Regardless of the filler material, the disassembled and stacked panels occupy a minimum of space during storage or transfer.

Rectangular panels are prepared from flat cardboard blanks and sheets of foam plastic with minimal scrap losses, but the invention is obviously applicable to polygonal panels having more or fewer than four substantially straight sides. Particularly attractive assemblies have been made from panels having the shape of identical regular hexagons.

Numerous other variations and modifications of the invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art on the basis of the foregoing teachings.

What is claimed is:

1. A display assembly comprising, in combination:

(a) two flat polygonal panels,

(1) each panel essentially consisting of a hollow shell and a stiffening filler in the cavity of said shell,

(2) the shell having two relatively wide, opposite display face portions and a relatively narrow, substantially annular band portion connecting the display face portions; and

(b) a connector member of strip material having a width approximately equal to the thickness of said cavity between said display face portions of each shell,

(1) each longitudinal end portion of said connector member being inserted in the cavity of a respective panel for connecting said panels,

(2) each end portion being interposed between the band portion of the associated panel shell and the filler received in the same in simultaneous frictional engagement with said band portion and said filler,

(3) the width of said inserted end portion extending between the display face portions of said panel shell.

2. assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said filler is separated by a gap from said band portion over a major portion of the circumference of said filler, said end portion being received in said gap.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said end portion tapers to a terminal cutting edge.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said connector member is flat and extends into said panels through respective contigously juxtaposed parts of said band portions of the same.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said connector member is formed with a perforation extending therethrough in the direction of thickness of said strip material closely adjacent one of said cutting edges.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said connector member is an approximately U-shaped clip, said strip material being resilient, said end portions respectively constituting the leg parts of said U-shape.

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, further comprising holding means on one of said panels and remote from the other panel for holding the display face portions of the connected panels in a common upright plane.

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7, wherein said other panel projects from the band portion of said one panel, and said holding means include a leg member downwardly projecting from the band portion of said one panel, and an elongated connecting member of strip material, one longitudinal end portion of said connecting member being fastened to said leg member, and the other end portion of said connecting member passing through said band portion of said one panel and being interposed between said band portion and the filler of said one panel in simultaneous frictional engagement.

9. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, further comprising barbs on said end portion for impeding withdrawal of the same from the associated panels.

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein said shell consists of a unitary piece of cardboard, and said filler consists of foam plastic.

11. A display assembly comprising, in combination:

(a) a flat polygonal panel essentially consisting of a hollow shell and a stiffening filler in the cavity of said shell,

(1) the shell having two relatively wide, opposite display face portions and a relatively narrow, substantially annular band portion connecting the display face portions; and

(b) holding means for holding said display face portions in an upright position, said holding means including a leg member downwardly projecting from said band portion, and an elongated connecting member of strip material, one longitudinal end portion of said connecting member being fastened to said leg member, and the other end portion of said connecting member passing through said band portion and being interposed between said band portion and said filler in simultaneous frictional engagement, the width of said other end portion extending between said display face portions and being substantially equal to the thickness of said cavity between said display face portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 515,512 2/1894 Baker -22 1,248,047 11/1917 Woolley 40-22 X 3,354,567 11/1967 Philbin et al. 3,437,360 4/ 1969 Gould et al. 52586 X LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

